To My Dearest and Loveliest Alice
by SquirmberryJuice
Summary: Tarrant writes a letter to Alice, one that she was never supposed to read, confessing his love and begging her to come back.   Forgive my suckish summary skills...
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys! This is my first-ever fic, so wish me luck! Predictably, it's AliceXTarrant. It's a letter to Alice by Tarrant, saying how much he misses her. I just love this pairing!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Alice in Wonderland: 1. I wouldn't be writing FANfiction about it. 2. I would have fired whoever cut out the two kissing scenes from the movie. But I don't own AIW. So I do write FF's and there were no kisses in the movie.**

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><p>To My Dearest and Loveliest Alice,<p>

I realize that you will never receive this letter, because I have no intention of sending it, you see. Mirana wanted me to get my feelings out. Everyone says that I have been sulking about and that I need to stop and be my normal, happy self again. I do not believe that I have been "sulking about," however, because I have been sitting in my chair at the tea table outside of Thackery's house, waiting for you to come back. So, you see, I could not have been sulking about, because I have just stayed in one place.

Alice, I do so hope that you will come back. I gave up thinking that you will be "back before I knew it" a long time ago. Not because I have lost faith in you, but because I knew it the second you left. To tell you the truth, the moment after you left, I looked left, right, up, down, sideways, upside down, and all inbetweenways for you. All because I knew that you were gone, and you had said that you would be back before that. When I finally figured out that you weren't anywhere but in Aboveland, I went to the tea table and I sat, waiting for you. I've been there ever sinse.

I know that you see me as a friend. A best friend, if I'm lucky, and I really do hope that I'm lucky. But I see you as so much more then a friend. Alice, I love you with all of my mad heart, mind, hands, feet, bones, blood, knees, hat, and everything else. I love you so much, it hurts. So I need you back.

I understand that it would be impossible for a beautiful, perfect Alice like you to love an old, worn hatter like me. I don't like to think about it, but the Bad Voices in my head tell me that you could never love me the way that I love you. But I just want to see you, one last time. Or many, many more times. I would be happy knowing that you were happy. But I can't know that your happy until your down here again. And I could make you happy. I could give you whatever you wanted. If you wanted many dresses, I would make them for you. If you wanted a big house, I would build one for you. If it wasn't something I could make, I would trade anything for you to have it. I just want you to be happy.

I see visions of you, sometimes. You walk up to me, smiling, and sit yourself on my left side. But that is how I know that it is a vision. Every single time you have come here, you sit on my right side. Never have you once sat on my left. Right is the right-proper Alice side. I have yet to see the real you on the right-proper Alice side when you are the right-proper Alice size. You are always too small or too tall, but even when you are small enough to fit on my hand or tall enough to squish me under your shoe, I still love you (oh, I believe that I've made a rhyme).

It is good, in some ways, that you will never get this letter. I would much rather tell you that I love you with my heart, hat, and tea in person then on paper (no offence to the paper, it it a very efficiant way of communication and many other things).

We all need you back. Mirana, Thackery, Nievens, Tweedles Dee and Dum, even Chessur and Mally need you. But I need you too. I need you more then anyone. I feel as though I will fall apart if I don't get to hold you in my arms at some point in my life, even if it is just as a best friend to you.

Truly and Forever Yours,

Tarrant Hightopp, Mad Hatter

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><p><strong>I really enjoyed writing this, and I hope you enjoyed reading it! Remember to R&amp;R!<strong>

**~SquirmberryJuice**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi! This story was originally going to be a oneshot, but then selinar97 reviewed, asking me to turn it into a story. So here it is! I'm going off of your idea, selinar97, so I have to give the credit to you! Thanks for reviewing!**

**I'm not sure how many chapters this is going to be yet, but my guess is three or four. I'll make an epilogue, too. **

**Disclaimer: Again, I don't own Alice in Wonderland or any of its characters… but it is in good hands with Tim Burton.**

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><p>He read over the letter one last time. Tarrant meant every single word that he had written in that letter, although Alice would never know that. After all, he had just written it so that Mirana would be happy. <em>No one will ever read it<em>, he decided,_ but me_.

"'atta! Where are ya?" shouted his friend Mally the Dormouse from outside. "Ya gonna be late fa tea if ya don' 'urry up, ya great lug!"

Hatter glanced at the clock, which for once was working. _Time must feel bad for me_, he thought. _Or maybe Time misses Alice, too_.

It was past brilling. Mally was right, he should be getting to the tea table, before the tea went cold. And almost nothing was worse than cold tea.

He quickly stuffed the letter in his pocket and ran out the door, trying to get to the tea table before one of his friends came looking for him.

"'atter! Finally! I was 'bout to come an' look for ya!" shouted Mally, who was currently in the process of climbing out of an empty tea pot.

"Yes, yes, well I'm here now, so we can get started. Where's the Earl Grey?" Hatter lisped.

"Oh! It's inside. I'll get it," Mally said.

As Mally went inside, Hatter spotted Thackery walking toward the table, staring in confusion at something in his hand.

"Thackery, what are you looking at?" Hatter asked.

"I'm pretty sure there's something wrong with this spoon," Thackery said, holding up a fork.

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><p>Inside the windmill, Mally was checking on the Earl Grey tea when she saw a slip of paper on the ground.<p>

"I wonda what this is," Mally whispered to herself, picking up the paper.

She unfolded it slowly, reading it.

"Fates behold!" she nearly shouted when she was finished. It was a letter, from Tarrant to Alice. She knew that she should have stopped reading at the first words, "To My Dearest and Loveliest Alice," but her curiosity overpowered her common sense.

Mally was torn. She had three choices. One, to give it back to Tarrant. _No, _she thought, _I can't do that. He would know that I read it and he might never talk to me again._ Two, to place it back on the floor and leave him to find it. _Can't do that either. Someone else could find it. _The third choice was the hardest. To give it to Mirana. She would probably send it to Alice in Above, and then Mally might lose Tarrant because Alice might come back. It wasn't that she terribly minded the girl, it was just that they had always been a trio. Tarrant, Thackery, and her, always. As soon as Tarrant had fallen in love with Alice (and everyone could see it but Tarrant and Alice), she feared that Tarrant would leave them to be with her.

_But, on the other hand, _Mally reasoned, _Tarrant will finally be happy again if she comes back._ And it was this thought that pushed Mally to a decision. She would give it to Mirana, who would send it to Alice.

Tea forgotten, Mally scampered out of the back door, in the direction of Mamoreal.

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><p>Outside at the tea table, Tarrant was trying to explain to Thackery that not all utensils had to be spoons. Thackery refused to hear of it.<p>

"No. Spoons work for everything you would ever want to use a utensil for, so it only makes sense that every utensil is a spoon."

"Spoons don't work for cutting, though!" Tarrant argued.

"Of course spoons don't work for cutting! That's what knives are for," Thackery responded.

"A knife is a utensil."

"Nonsense. Knives are not spoons and so they are not utensils."

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><p>Mally was running as fast as she could to get to Mamoreal. When she finally got there, the guards at the front gates stopped her.<p>

"Who goes there? State your name and business."

"Mallymkin the Dormouse, with a letter for the Queen!"

The guards opened the large, pure white gates and she scampered in, shouting her thanks.

As she ran up the many steps of the castle, Mally felt her getting more and more excited. _As soon as I give this letter to Mirana, she will send it Above and Alice will come back and Hatter will be happy again!_

When she reached the door to Mirana's office, she knocked as loudly as she could, seeing as she was a mouse. A few seconds later, Mirana opened the large doors and saw her.

"Mally! What a pleasant surprise, please come in."

"Yes, Your Majesty," said Mally.

"You don't need to call me that when we are alone. We are friends, are we not?"

"Of course I'm ya friend, Mirana," Mally said, smiling.

"So what has brought you to the castle today? Shouldn't you be having tea with Tarrant and Thackery?"

"Yeah, but ya see, when I was goin' inta the windmill ta check on some of the tea, I saw a piece of paper on the floor. I picked it up and read it, and brought it straight 'ere"

"What was on the paper, Mally? What could ever be so important that you would leave in the middle of tea to bring it to me?"

"I think 'at ya would be betta off readin' it yaself, Mirana," Mally said, handing the letter to the Queen.

Mirana looked at Mally curiously as she opened the paper. She started reading, and her eyes got bigger and bigger as she read.

"Oh! That was so sweet!" Mirana squealed as soon as she'd finished reading. "Oh, please forgive my manners," she said once she'd realized what she had done.

"It's quite alright. I reacted in a similar manner when I read it."

"We must give this to Alice at once! Oh, I knew that it was a good idea for him to write his feelings down!" She got up and glided to the door, handing the letter to the guard outside of the door. "Give this to Nivens McTwisp, and tell him to bring it to Alice in Aboveland at once!" she told him.

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><p>Tarrant was getting tired of the argument with Thackery.<p>

"Fine! You win! Spoons are the best and only utensil!"

Thackery smiled, sat down, and started whispering to his spoon.

Hatter wondered what was taking Mally so long to get the tea. He had no idea how long he had been arguing with Thackery, so it could have been five minutes or five hours.

He decided to go look for Mally, and if she wasn't there, maybe find a better hiding spot for his Alice letter. When he got up, however, he did not feel the letter in his pocket, where it should have been. When he reached into his pocket (and every other pocket he had) to make sure, he came to a terrible conclusion. The letter was gone.

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><p><strong>Well, that was chapter two! Thanks for reading! And just because I feel like saying it: don't forget to R&amp;R!<strong>

**~SquirmberryJuice**


	3. Chapter 3

**Whoo! Two chapters in one day! I want to thank all who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story!**

**This is kind of just a filler chapter, but I recommend that you don't skip it, because it wouldn't make sense to just go from chapter two to chapter four…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own AIW! I wish I did! But I don't!**

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><p>Nivens McTwisp was running as fast as it was possible for a rabbit. He was in Aboveland, searching for Alice, not doing anything wrong, when all of a sudden, he was being growled at by a large dog. It was stark naked, had drool coming out of its mouth, and had extremely bad manners. Nivens would never sneak up behind someone and start growling. It was just unnecessary! A simple "would you please leave this garden" would have worked much better. And so, here he was, being chased by this horribly mannered dog.<p>

One of Mirana's guards had given him a letter addressed to Alice, telling him that the White Queen had instructed him to travel to Above and give this letter to Alice immediately. So he had taken the letter, tucked it safely into his pocket (along with his shiny gold watch) and come as fast as he could to Above, where he was now being assaulted by a dog who was either refusing to speak with him or could not speak at all.

Finally, he got out of the garden by pushing through some bushes that the dog couldn't fit through.

"Well. That was close. Now, I must find Alice and deliver this letter to her, and then return to Underland," Nivens said to himself as he looked around, trying to figure out where he was. He knew London quite well, because he had been going topside for the Queen ever since he was a little bunny.

He started walking along the path that would lead him to Alice's home.

"I do so hope that she is there, and not off traveling." Yes, that would be bad. He would be forced to wait until Alice again arrived, because he had learned from experience that Londoners did not react well to talking rabbits looking to deliver letters.

_I wonder what this letter says. _Even though Nivens was a proper rabbit, he had grown up in Underland, and so he was very curious. _Maybe I'll just read it, _he thought._ No! I couldn't. I am only the messenger. I will not intervene with Mirana and Alice's business._

When Nivens reached the Kingsley estate, he immediately went around to the back, where he knew Alice's window was.

_Oh please, please be there,_ he thought.

When he cautiously looked in the window of her bedroom, she was there. She was in a deep sleep in the middle of the day, but it was Alice.

Nivens cautiously opened the window and slipped inside. He had wanted to talk with Alice and he was about to wake her when he thought, _she would not be asleep at one o'clock in the afternoon if she was not very tired._ So he just set the letter next to her head on the pillow and hopped out of the room.

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><p>Tarrant was in a panic. Where had his Alice letter gone? He had to find it before anyone read it, or worse, read it and thought that they would do him a favor by sending it to Alice.<p>

If Alice ever came back, he wanted to tell her that he loved her in person. Then, maybe, she would let him court her and then he would ask if he could marry her and-

_Donae think on 'at, lad. I' won' eva 'appen. 'ow cou a perfect Ahlice 'ike 'er eher luv a disgustin' ol' 'atta 'ike yaself?_

"She couldn't," Tarrant whispered.

No, a perfect Alice couldn't ever love a Hatter like himself. It was impossible. He was lucky to be her friend. He was beyond lucky that she would bring him out of his fits of madness sometimes by touching his face or whispering his name.

But he could not dwell on that now. He had a letter to find, and quickly!

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><p>Alice woke up expecting to see sunlight coming through her window. Maybe she had even gotten lucky and had been allowed to sleep in today. But when Alice opened her eyes, she saw only the darkness of night. She was confused, until she remembered what she had said to herself yesterday afternoon, "I'll just lay down and rest my head for a few minutes," she had said. That few had turned into a few hours, and by the sound of the clock, it was two o'clock in the morning.<p>

"Great," she whispered to herself. Now she was up in the middle of the night, fully rested. "Maybe I can make myself sleep a little bit longer," she said, turning over. Just as she was about to pull the blankets up over herself, she felt the smooth firmness of a folded piece of paper beneath her cheek.

Alice sat up in bed, lit a candle, and unfolded the small piece of paper. It was done in handwriting that looked rushed and beautiful at the same time, in ink so purple it was almost black.

She read the first line, which said that it was "To My Dearest and Loveliest Alice." _What is this? Who would address me that way?_ She looked at the bottom of the page, and sure enough, there was a signature. "Tarrant Hightopp, Mad Hatter." It was from Hatter! She couldn't believe it! When had this been put on her pillow? It must have been McTwisp, seeing as he was the only Underlander who knew where she lived, much less what room she slept in.

She started reading from the top, reading faster and faster until she finished it. She then read it again, forcing herself to read slowly, to make sure she didn't miss anything.

Tarrant loved her. He really, truly loved her. He wanted her to come back. She would go as soon as possible!

Just as she started to get out of bed to start packing her things, she remembered the reason why she hadn't gone back already. She had spent the last year in China and other various countries, finishing her business and entrusting everything, bit by bit, to Lord Ascot and her family. When she came home to London, however, she was surprised to hear that Margret had five months before her first child was born. Lowell had gotten her pregnant, then left on a "business trip" for the past few months, only coming back to London for a few days at a time. Margret couldn't deal with her pregnancy alone, though, so she had temporarily moved back into the Kingsley estate.

Alice couldn't leave her sister like this, even though she felt as if she would fall to pieces if she didn't go back for another five months.

So she stayed, promising herself that as soon as the baby was born and Margret was all settled, she would go back.

This had been four and a half months ago.

Margret's baby was due at any time now, and Alice and her mother were so worried. Alice hadn't gotten any sleep for the past week besides short doses on the sofa or at the table. She wanted so desperately to go back, but she couldn't leave Margret like this.

Alice smiled, folded the letter, and put it under her pillow. She closed her eyes, and started drifting off to sleep again.

"ALICE! MOTHER!" cried Margret, sounding urgent.

Alice's eyes snapped open. Margret had been getting "false alarms" for the past week, and there was no way to tell of they were real or not besides waiting it out.

Alice slipped into the hallway and she saw Mother do the same as they both started walking toward Margret's room.

When they opened the door, they saw Margret lying on the bed, an expression of excruciating pain on her face.

"I think it's time," Margret choked out.

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><p><strong>Okay, so I know this is kind of a bad cliffhanger, but I'm over a thousand words here and I just think that I need to split it up. So I already know what's going to happen in the next chapter, I just have to write it, so it'll be up soon.<strong>

**~SquirmberryJuice**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey! This is going to be the last chapter of "To My Dearest and Loveliest Alice," but I'm going to write an epilogue that's probably going to be up sometime later today.**

**Once again, I want to thank all who reviewed, favorite, and followed this story! Honestly, I was kind of expecting to get one, maybe two reviews on this, since it was my first story and I'm not that experienced with this.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own AIW. At all. Sad for me.**

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><p>Tarrant couldn't find the letter anywhere. He had first searched the old windmill, where he had written the letter. Then, he had looked for it outside, all around, over, under, and on top of the tea table. Still unable to find it, he had searched in the woods surrounding the table. It was nowhere to be found!<p>

As he sat down in his armchair in despair, he remembered something. He hadn't seen Mally since she had gone inside to check on the Earl Grey tea. He wondered where she had gone.

Just then, he spotted her coming up the pathway toward the clearing that the table and the old windmill were in.

"Mally!" he called to her. She looked at him with wide eyes, and then dashed in the opposite direction.

"Mally!" he shouted, running after her. When he finally caught up to her (she was a very fast mouse) he leaned down and scooped her up in his hand.

"Oi! Ya know Ah don' like I' when ya pick me up unless it's ya 'at!" she shouted. "Put me down, 'atta!"

"Wha're ya doin' runnin' away fro' meh?" he asked her as calmly as he could. He knew that his eyes had gone a bit orange, and he had to keep very calm if he didn't want to go off in a rage of madness.

"Nothin', 'atta," she told him quickly.

"It don' look like ah nothin'," he said angrily, "Ah kno' wha' a nothin' look's lik', an' tha's definitely a sumthin'."

"'atta, before I tell ya, ya need ta calm down and put me on the ground, alri'?"

The Hatter closed his eyes and willed his temper back. He felt his eyes turn back to his normal lime green.

"Alright, Mally. I'm calm now," he lisped, putting her down. Without Alice, he had had to learn how to control his temper on his own, lest he hurt someone.

"Alri' 'atta," she said nervously, "Ya see, when I went inside ta check on the tea, I saw a paper on the ground. I opened it up, an' I saw tha' I' was a letta. I read i', and then brought it ta Mirana, ta send ta Alice."

The Hatter stared at Mally for a few seconds, his eyes once again becoming orange, before sprinting off in the direction of Mamoreal.

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><p>It was two o'clock in the morning, Margret was screaming her head off. Alice was trying to calm her down while Mother was going to call for a doctor.<p>

"Margret! You must calm down! Please! The doctor will be here soon and then it will be over! You have already woken up the entire house, you don't need to wake up all of London, as well!"

"I'm sorry, Alice! I just-" And with that, she started screaming again.

Alice collapsed in a chair next to the bed. _When will the doctor get here so that Margret can stop screaming her bloody head off and I can get back to sleep?_

But Alice didn't think she could go back to sleep because after Margret's baby was born, she could finally return to Underland.

There was a knock on the bedroom door and her mother and a doctor entered the bedroom. Margret quieted her screams, but she wasn't able to hold in a whimper or two on occasion.

"Hello. My name is Doctor Harrison," the man said in a snobby voice.

_This is going to be a long night,_ Alice thought.

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><p>When Hatter reached the large gates of Mamoreal, the guards stopped him.<p>

"Please state your name and business."

Hatter forced himself to calm down before he spoke. "Tarrant Hightopp, I must speak with the Queen at once."

As soon as there was a gap in the gates large enough for him to fit through, he sprinted in and up the stairs of the palace. He reached the doors to Mirana's office after sprinting up and down stairs and hallways for at least fifteen minutes (he had not been in the palace that many times, and he didn't have a good sense of direction). He pounded on the doors and heard a dainty "Please come in."

"Mirana, did you receive a letter from Mally recently?" he asked urgently.

"Why yes I did, Tarrant. It was from you, actually. Oh, it was one of the sweetest things I have ever read, and so I sent it to Alice straight away!"

"You… sent it to… to Alice?"

"Yes! Are you not happy?" she asked, frowning.

"You see, Your Majesty, I had never intended to send that letter! I wanted Alice to come back on her own and for me to tell her those things in person."

"Oh, my! Tarrant, I am so sorry! If you hurry, there may still be a chance that she hasn't read it. You may use my mirror to transport yourself. Just think of Alice, and it should take you to wherever she is."

Without a goodbye or a thank you (he was in too much of a hurry, and he decided that he would say goodbye and thank you later) he leaped through the mirror.

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><p>"I'm going to have to ask you to leave the room, Miss Kingsley," Dr. Harrison said in his awful, nasally voice.<p>

"Why?" Alice snapped at him.

"It is not proper for anyone to be in the room with Mrs. Manchester except for Mrs. Kingsley and myself."

"You won't let me help my sister through labor _because it's not proper?_"

"Exactly so. Now into the hallway with you, please."

Throwing up her hands in defeat, Alice stomped into the hallway. She decided that since she wasn't going to be let back into the room, she might as well get something to eat, so she walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. She wasn't worried about the cook yelling at her to get out, she was too tired and annoyed for that.

As she opened one of the cabinets, she heard a crash and an "ouch!" from the dining room. Poking her head through the doorway, she saw a man in a pile on the floor, along with the decorative vases that were on the mantle.

It wasn't until she had walked up to the man and helped him to get back on his feet that she saw who he was.

"Tarrant?" she breathed.

He smiled. "Alice, it's you! Mirana told me that if I went through the mirror and I thought of you, then I would appear where you were, but-"

"Hatter!"

"I'm fine," he choked out. Then his eyes widened. "Alice! You remember me!"

"Like I said, how could I forget?"

"Alice, I have to tell you something. You see, I wrote a letter to you, only I never wanted to send it, then I lost it and it got sent, and I have to tell you that I love you before you read the letter!"

"Tarrant? I… I've already read the letter. I'm sorry," she said sadly.

His face fell and he stared at his shoes. "I had meant to tell you in person."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. I suppose that it's not much of anyone's fault."

"Tarrant, I love you, too."

He looked up. "Don't say that just to make me feel better, Alice."

"I'm not just saying it," Alice said, gathering her muchness. "I love you."

"You're sure?" he asked quietly.

"Yes."

And then he pulled her against him and he kissed her. It was like he was trying to put all of his love into that one kiss, which he was. She kissed him back with the same enthusiasm.

He was the first to pull away. "Ah luv ya, Mah Ahlice. Will ye come bac' ta Underlan'… wi' meh?"

"Yes."

He smile was so big, Chessur would have been jealous.

"My Alice," he whispered, his accent gone.

"Yes?"

"I would ask to leave straight away, but I'm curious. What is all that screaming?"

She laughed. "I have a sister, Margret, who is currently upstairs, giving birth."

"That would explain it."

She smiled. "Can I stay, just until my niece or nephew is born?"

"Of course, My Alice."

"Tarrant? If I may ask, what are my mother's vases doing all over the floor?"

"I arrived through that mirror," he explained, pointing at the decorative mirror on top of the mantle, "and these poor vases were in my way."

Just then, the screaming stopped. "Wait here," Alice said, running out of the room.

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><p>Alice gently knocked on Margret's door. "Come in," she heard from inside.<p>

She opened the door and saw a very tired Margret sitting up on the bed, a whimpering baby in her arms. "Alice, meet your niece, Victoria Anne Manchester."

Alice smiled and turned to her mother. "Mother, I'm going to go away for a while. I don't know when I'll be back,"

Her mother looked away from the baby in Margret's arms. "Where are you going, Alice?"

"I can't tell you. At least, not yet."

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><p><strong>Whoo! That was fun to write. Like I said at the top of the page, an epilogue will be coming soon. Don't forget to R&amp;R!<strong>

**~SquirmberryJuice**


	5. Epilogue

**All good things must come to an end (as suckish as that is). So this will be the epilogue to "To My Dearest and Loveliest Alice". This has been really fun to write, so be on the lookout for another fic!**

**Disclaimer: AIW is in good hands with Mr. Burton. Not me. **

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><p>"The tea's ready!" Alice Hightopp called to her husband, Tarrant. They had been married for over five years, and they were expecting their first child in about three months.<p>

Alice placed one hand on her rounded belly as she walked outside to the tea table, pot of chamomile tea in the other.

Tarrant smiled at her as she sat down on his right side. Alice smiled back, but there was a touch of sadness in her eyes.

Tarrant's smile faded. "What's the matter, Cricket?"

She looked at him. "It's just that I haven't seen my mother, sister, or niece in five years. Plus, I have no idea how much time has passed in London. Victoria could be all grown up by now, and I'll have missed it."

"If it would make you happy, we could visit them."

"I know, but I wouldn't want to hurt the baby by using Jabberwocky blood or the rabbit hole."

"Don't you remember how I got to Above, the night you came back to Underland? I traveled by mirror. And you could make sure that we come out of a full mirror, on the ground."

"I suppose we could! We'll go right after lunch. I'm starving," she said excitedly, rubbing her belly.

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><p>"Sweetling, are you ready to go?" Tarrant asked Alice.<p>

"As ready as I'll ever be," she answered.

They clasped hands tightly (it wouldn't do any good to have them appear in different places) and stepped through the mirror.

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><p>They stepped out of the full length mirror in Alice's old bedroom.<p>

"Are you sure we've come to the right place? This room is so dull," Tarrant asked his wife.

"Yes, this was my bedroom! I'm so excited to see my family again. I can only hope that Margret is still living here."

Hands still clasped together, they walked out of the room and down the stairs, to the living room.

"Alice, you should sit down. We've just had a very long journey, and it must have been very tiring, seeing as you have the baby in your belly and-"

"Alright, Tarrant, I'll sit down."

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><p>Helen Kingsley was walking down the hallway, on her way to the dining room for lunch, when she heard faint voices coming from the living room.<p>

_That's strange,_ she thought, _I wasn't expecting anyone._

"…sit down," she heard, in a voice that sounded strangely like her daughter Alice's. Alice had disappeared the day that Victoria was born, and she had been gone for about two years.

"Thank you, love," said another voice that she wasn't familiar with. Helen swiftly walked into the living room, and was met with a very strange sight.

A pregnant Alice was sitting on the sofa, pressed up against a man with unruly red hair, who was rubbing her protruding belly. Both were in colorful clothes, the man's trousers just an inch too short. Alice had on a bright blue sunhat, while the man had a charred top hat.

"Alice?" Helen whispered.

"Mother!" Alice exclaimed, trying to stand up, while the man jumped up to help her.

"Alice Kingsley, where have you been for the past two years?" Alice's mother couldn't help but say sternly to her daughter.

"Two years?" Alice asked the man, who now had his arms around her.

"Apparently so, Cricket."

"Mother, it's so good to see you again! And it's Alice Hightopp, now. Allow me to introduce you to my husband, Tarrant Hightopp."

"Hello, Mrs. Kingsley. It's a pleasure to meet you, after living with Alice for five ye-" Alice elbowed him in the stomach.

"What does he mean, five years? Alice?"

The girl slumped in defeat. "I hadn't meant to tell you at all, unless you really seemed ready. But I wouldn't like to explain this more than once, because it is a very long and confusing tale. Where's Margret?"

* * *

><p>A half hour later, Helen, Margret, Alice, and Tarrant were seated in the living room. Victoria (she was only two years old) was playing with the nanny in the other room.<p>

"Alice, I can't believe that you've come back! After a whole two years, and with child, too!" Margret had said when she saw Alice.

"Alright," Alice started, holding hands with Tarrant again, "first. I've not been in London for two years, but I've been away for five."

"How is that possible?" Alice's mother asked.

"I live in a place called Underland, more specifically, a small town called Witzend. You might remember that, when I was a child, I had dreams about a place called Wonderland. As it turns out, it was real! I got the name wrong, but it's real all the same!"

"Alice, that's impossible. There is no place called Wonderland-"

"It's Underland, Mother. And it is real. Do you remember the people that I used to tell you about?"

"Oh! I remember them," Margret said, "There was a rabbit with a waistcoat-"

"His name is Nivens McTwisp. Who else do you remember?"

"A Queen of Hearts?"

"Iracebeth of Crimms."

"A dormouse?"

"Mallyumkin."

"A hare?"

"A _March_ Hare. Thackery Earwicket."

"A hatter?"

"That's the one I was waiting for. The Hatter is my husband, Tarrant."

"Alice is telling the truth. She visited Underland twice before she came back when she was 19 and sla-" Alice elbowed him again.

"I'm sorry, Sweetling," Tarrant whispered.

"Alice, what is that man talking about?"

"_That man_ is my husband, and he was talking about the time when I slayed the Jabberwocky, a large and menacing dragon, when I was 19. Remember how I ran away in the middle of the almost-engagement party at the Ascot's manor? I went to Underland."

"Yes. I remember your 'almost-engagement' party," her mother said with distain.

"Mother, if I'm going to tell you where I have been for the past five years, you must be capable of listening and believing everything I say."

Her mother's mouth grew into a thin line. "Alright."

And so Alice told her mother and sister about everything from the Jabberwocky to her life with Tarrant.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, Alice was done with her story. Margret and Helen were dumbstruck. They had tried to interrupt several times, saying "But that's impossible." Alice had quickly shushed them with her own "Only if you believe it is." In the end, everything fit into place so well that Margret and Alice's mother had no choice but to believe it.<p>

"Alice, you must be hungry. It is nearly dinnertime, and you haven't eaten for hours," her mother insisted.

"Yes, Cricket, I believe that you should eat something," Tarrant persuaded her.

"Alright. But after dinner, I'm afraid that Tarrant and I must be getting back! Who knows how long it's been in Underland?"

"Oh, you're right, Love! It could have been anywhere in between a second and a year!"

At dinner, Alice was updated on everything that had happened in the two years she hadn't been in London. Victoria hadn't started lessons yet, but she could already speak almost fluently. Margret and Victoria had stayed with Mother, as Lowell was still constantly away. Other than that, everything was normal. After dinner, Alice played with Victoria for a few minutes before being helped to her feet by an overprotective Tarrant.

"I'm afraid that we must go now. Only the Fates know how long we've been gone," Alice told her family.

"When will you come back, Auntie Alice? Will we ever see you again?" Victoria asked.

Alice smiled. "You will always be able to see me, as long as you know where to look."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay! This story is over! I made sure that I left off in a place where it was possible to make a sequel, if someone asks for one, but I've got another idea for a story in mind… <strong>

**~SquirmberryJuice**


	6. Author's Note: Sequel

**Hello, readers! **

**Thanks so much for reading this story, I can't tell you how much it means to me.**

**Okay, the reason I've added this last author's note, months after I finished writing the actual story, is because I just wanted to let you guys know that I am working on a sequel to this story, called **_**By Your Side**_**. I like it when others do this, so that I don't accidentally miss a sequel to a story that I like.**

**But before you check that out, if you could do me a HUGE favor and click that little button that says review and tell me what you thought of this story, I would love it! The more reviews I have, the more confidence I have, and the better stories and faster updates I can give you!**

**Thanks again, SJ**


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